wt: April 2011

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Coded Collage Resized...

https://sites.google.com/a/sou.edu/dmf203temple/swftemple/BigTittyBruisers.swf?attredirects=0

Sunday, April 24, 2011

As it is late 'o clock pm, and there is, alas, so much more to do tonight, verbosity be-eth banished! Concise reflections on interactions:

Swimming: The therapeutic value of a good swim work out is undeniable. The pat on the back for a job well done, the feel of the surrounding water, the freedom from the weightier world, the smell of the pool (or the beach, or the lake), the list could go on forever. It is a kind of moving meditation, one in which the whole being is lighter afterwards with a refreshed mind, body and spirit. That is one thing I doubt can be captured in a computer game. The extreme physicality of it, in addition to the tangibility of the elements-- the water all around, the air above on the face when breathing, the smells -- definitely makes it a real world interaction.

Swing or Salsa or any partner dancing: Dancing is absolute joy. The game of "follow the leader" is not too far removed from partner dancing, but with a great twist. Each party agrees to try and figure each other out for the sheer fun of it, and all set to music. What could be better? Again, this is a physical game, but a social one, too. Each person has a different manner, different way of moving, expressing, enjoying. Also, there is something primal about dancing and moving to music. It is a shame that not everyone feels a freedom to just dance. Of course, that sentiment can be applied to anything...like drawing. ; ) I can draw. I can. I can. I can!!!

EATING CHOCOLATE!!! Ok. So the truth of it is, I really like chocolate, any variety, from the darkest darks to the milkiest milks. YUM! It smells good. It melts just right in your mouth. It soothes the soul from the moment it hits your tongue, magically melting to fill the whole head with yumminess. It is a treat to be slowly savored, best enjoyed at the end of the day when everything is quiet and you can just focus on its perfection...unless you get a dark that someone sugared up too much. ugh! darks should be bitter, in the best possible way, naturally.

ANIMATIONS

https://sites.google.com/a/sou.edu/dmf203temple/swftemple/rabbitproject.swf?attredirects=0

address is above...go figure!

Animation Coded

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Coded Collage Link

https://sites.google.com/a/sou.edu/dmf203temple/swftemple/BigTittyBruisers.swf?attredirects=0

this obviously is not working. only part of the swf is visible and adjusting for size in the blog does not enable one to see any more of the swf. (already tried copying and pasting the html code for altering size.) need to link to the html file, but only the flash file, action script file and the swf are saved in my folder at home. at sou, somehow the html was in my folder or maybe i just don't remember where to find it. how do i get to the html file? arrrgh!!!

Monday, April 18, 2011

Collage Code, Final

package
{
    import flash.display.MovieClip;
    public class BigTittyBruisers extends MovieClip
    {

        public function BigTittyBruisers()
        {    // constructor code

            trace("Beware the Boobzooka!");

            var purpleslate:MovieClip;                    //names variable types
            var tits:MovieClip;
            var warptime:MovieClip;
            var boobzooka:MovieClip;
            var zookafuel:MovieClip;
            var defyingtext:MovieClip;
            var jobtext:MovieClip;

            purpleslate = new PurpleSlate;                //declares variables
            tits = new Tits;
            warptime = new WarpTime;
            boobzooka = new BoobZookaLessFuel;
            zookafuel = new ZookaFuel;
            defyingtext = new DefyingText;
            jobtext = new JobText;

            purpleslate.scaleX = 2.0;                    //modifies variables
            purpleslate.scaleY = 2.0;
            tits.x = 285;
            tits.y = 275;
            tits.scaleX = 1.1;
            tits.scaleY = 1.1;
            warptime.x = 30;
            warptime.y = 145;
            warptime.scaleX = 1.25;
            warptime.scaleY = 1.25;
            boobzooka.x = -75;
            boobzooka.y = 140;
            boobzooka.scaleX = 1.5;
            boobzooka.scaleY = 1.25;
            zookafuel.x = 450;
            zookafuel.y = 125;
            defyingtext.x = 100;
            defyingtext.y = -125;
            defyingtext.scaleX = 2;
            defyingtext.scaleY = 2;
            jobtext.x = 300;
            jobtext.y = 300;

            addChild(purpleslate);                        //drops variables on stage
            addChild(tits);
            addChild(warptime);
            addChild(boobzooka);
            addChild(zookafuel);
            addChild(defyingtext);
            addChild(jobtext);

        }

    }

}

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Gaming Role...

To be perfectly honest, while I find this class fun and interesting, I do not intend to become a game designer, coder, or likely anything related to gaming. I do, however, have some ideas that I wouldn't mind incorporating into some indie game. My geeky engineering past is re-emerging and I find the coding to be very intriguing, and this, combined with the creative ideas, makes it all very appealing, but nothing I'm truly passionate about. I see this more as a hobby than a profession, but because I want to open doors to all avenues of media arts, I feel I need to at least understand the basics of game design. Who knows, perhaps I'll really get into this? I was good at BASIC, FORTRAN, COBOL and PASCAL. Why not Flash?

If I had to choose a role in the gaming industry, it would be very difficult, as I would love to come up with the idea of the game and be involved in its story development, and I would also like to code for the challenge and elegance of it. I suspect, though, that the idea generation would ultimately win.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Collage Code, Practice

package
{
    import flash.display.MovieClip;
    public class BigTittyBruisers extends MovieClip
    {

        public function BigTittyBruisers()
        {    // constructor code

            trace("Beware the Boobzooka!");

            var purpleslate:MovieClip;
            purpleslate = new PurpleSlate;                            //declares variable for symbol, PurpleSlate
            purpleslate.scaleX = 2.0;                               //scales symbol, PurpleSlate
            purpleslate.scaleY = 2.0;
            addChild(purpleslate);                                   //places symbol, PurpleSlate, on stage

            var tits:MovieClip;
            tits = new Tits;                                          //declares variable for symbol, Tits
            tits.x = 285;                                           //sets stage location for symbol, Tits
            tits.y = 275;
            tits.scaleX = 1.1;                                                //scales symbol, Tits
            tits.scaleY = 1.1;
            addChild(tits);                                           //places symbol, Tits, on stage

            var warptime:MovieClip;
            warptime = new WarpTime;                            //declares variable for symbol, WarpTime
            warptime.x = 30;                                          //sets stage location for symbol, WarpTime
            warptime.y = 145;
            warptime.scaleX = 1.25;
            warptime.scaleY = 1.25;
            addChild(warptime);                                       //places symbol, WarpTime, on stage

            var boobzooka:MovieClip;
            boobzooka = new BoobZookaLessFuel;            //declares variable for symbol,
            boobzooka.x = -75;                                            //sets stage location for symbol,
            boobzooka.y = 140;
            boobzooka.scaleX = 1.5;                                   //scales symbol, BoobZookaLessFuel
            boobzooka.scaleY = 1.25;
            addChild(boobzooka);                                   //places symbol, BoobZookaLessFuel, on stage

            var zookafuel:MovieClip;
            zookafuel = new ZookaFuel;                             //declares variable for symbol, ZookaFuel
            zookafuel.x = 450;                                       //sets stage location for symbol, ZookaFuel
            zookafuel.y = 125;
            addChild(zookafuel);                                      //places symbol, ZookaFuel, on stage

            var defyingtext:MovieClip;
            defyingtext = new DefyingText;                         //declares variable for symbol, DefyingText
            defyingtext.x = 100;                                           //sets stage location for symbol, DefyinText
            defyingtext.y = -125;
            defyingtext.scaleX = 2;                                      //scales symbol, DefyingText
            defyingtext.scaleY = 2;
            addChild(defyingtext);                                      //places symbol, DefyingText, on stage

            var jobtext:MovieClip;
            jobtext = new JobText;                                    //declares variable for symbol, JobText
            jobtext.x = 300;                                       //sets stage location for symbol, JobText
            jobtext.y = 300;
            addChild(jobtext);                                          //places symbol, JobText, on stage

        }

    }

}

Saturday, April 9, 2011

On Play

Shigeru Miyamoto, a person wholly in tune with himself, is able to create “play” because he is play. He doesn’t need focus groups to tell him that his creations are fun because he feels it at a visceral level. He doesn’t over-analyze; he plays. This is all, of course, according to the New Yorker article, “Master of Play” by Nick Paumgarten, since I have no other knowledge of him whatsoever. I am one of those people who just missed the “gaming era”. Other than a bit of Pac Man, Asteroids and Tetris, I have no computer gaming experience. My world, however, is about to change, and I’m game for it.

As a kid, my favorite games were Tag, 4-Square, Jump Rope, Mud Football, basically anything with lots of speed and activity, with sedentary favorites being similar in that quick thinking, quick reaction, speed aspect, and the best games were those in which we cooperatively modified the rules. With the advent of “gaming”, it seems that there is less outdoor play among kids and, more problematic, less face to face communication. I haven’t quite labeled this a descent or de-evolution of society, but I’ve been tempted. I am countered by the subject New Yorker article, “And yet the success of this “casual revolution,” as Juul has called the spread of easier, more accessible video games, like the Finnish sensation Angry Birds, has engendered the idea that games should be more widely integrated into everything we do—that we are insufficiently engaged unless we are passing simultaneously through a real world and a simulated one.” While I would argue that a simulated world can be merely the world of play itself and need not be of the cyber world, I am willing to explore this point by learning several computer games and designing one, or who knows, maybe more?

Looking at designing a game, I must confess, is exciting and challenging, and though it feels a bit hypocritical as I’ve espoused that “quit wasting time on the computer” sentiment, combining the creative and technical aspects of the endeavor is very appealing. Inspired by Miyamoto, I’m going to assume that if I like my game idea, then others will too. Also, I would like to steer away from the gratuitous, graphic, visual violence that is in many computer games, which is fortunate for me since I don’t have the computer graphics talent to create that kind of visual. As Will Wright said of Miyamoto’s games, “When you play his games, you feel like you’re a kid and you’re out in the back yard playing in the dirt.” I would like to design a game with this feel to it, but perhaps, also with a very subtle message or something in addition to just the play aspect. That way, people will have an excuse to play my game; it’s for the message, right? NO! It’s for the play. Miyamoto definitely has that right.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Collages

Monday, April 4, 2011

Reflection on Games - Essay #1

When I think about games that I have most enjoyed, I immediately recall those that are a bit frenzied -- quick paced with quick thinking and reaction. This theme remains true for me no matter if the game is full body, like water polo, or sedentary, like the card game, speed. The games I prefer are very focused, and though many senses may be involved, the thrill, the motivation for returning to the game, is from the "mental kinesthetics", a brain sprint that can feel almost primal as adrenaline and instinct begin to dictate strategic choices.

Amping up time constraints could recreate this wired emotionality in a computer game. When the clock is running, the pressure is on -- true in the real world; true in the virtual world. The cyber arena, however, has monstrously monstrous visual capabilities (in this post pong era) that could create that sense of urgency as well, overloading the senses to overwhelm the mind. With monstrously monstrous monsters in fast pursuit one could definitely get his "fight or flight" feeling flowing. The so-called addiction to games, I suspect, comes from this animalistic, in the moment mode of operation. All else falls away. Multi-tasking ceases. (Can't wash the dishes and get your game on at the same time.) It is almost the flip-side to yoga, finely tuned and directed awareness as opposed to undirected awareness. Perhaps the best gamers are those that relax into that more undirected state?

wt